We Must Choose to Not Live in Terror

We Must Choose to Not Live in Terror

Share On:

The bomb went off at dusk just as everyone was preparing for evening prayer. I was only a few blocks away from its epicenter and felt the reverberation to my core.

A car bomb had been driven into Mogadishu’s Hotel Ambassador in Somalia as a precursor to a sustained attack by al-Shabaab gunmen that would last for several hours. The sound of sporadic gun-fire could be heard throughout the night. By the time we awoke, 16 people had been reported killed, including two parliamentarians. One of my co-workers was among the dead.

The attack occurred a few days before the advent of Ramadan and a day before a visit by Turkish President Erdogan that would mark Somalia’s development. The strategy behind this terror attack, like many others, was to spread an indelible fear among the public.

Top Stories from Mohamed

Other Fellows In The News

FEATURED: Somalian Refugee: Don't Punish People Fleeing ISIS

12/9/2015

Time Magazine

As a Somali refugee to the U.S., I’m alarmed by the recent antagonism toward Syrian refugees. Following the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris, John Kasich, the governor of my state of Ohio, along with 30 other state governors, said he would not accept Syrian refugees into the state....

More From Mohamed

FEATURED: Jobs creation, a pre-requisite to end outbreaks and epidemics

6/15/2016

Wathi

There is a certain level of acceptance that health policy decisions need to be based on sound evidence. Ebola and other epidemics demonstrated that to have an impact, we truly need data to make the most with every dollar spent. If we were to rebuild the health system of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra...